Do You Have to Do That?

“Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.” – Hedy Lamarr

.-= Perhaps that is exactly what all these women want to do? Look glamorous? What am I referring to? I am speaking of the trend of women taking their pictures with their tongues out, or with those ridiculous “duck lips”. Young girls were doing it, now I see women who are supposed to be more mature, even in their 30’s doing it. Really?

Now before I go too far… ya right… I always go too far. Some women will comment on the quote above wondering who the hell is Hedy Lamarr anyways. Hedy was an Austrian born actress and inventor. A brilliant woman and one of the most beautiful women in the world. Sadly, she is no longer with us, but you should look her up … we may not have had cell phones without her.

Anyways, this tongues out trend, not sure what will come next. Miley Cyrus did it throughout an entire performance. Not only did she look stupid, it was disgusting to watch. I suppose there are many reasons why someone would pose for a picture like this. Isn’t there? What are they trying to say? “Hey! Look at me! I’m a Rock Star!” No, you really are not and you don’t even look close. “Hey! I just want to look like a Rock Star and everyone else is doing it!” Again, you really don’t look anything like one, and everyone else could be doing many things. Perhaps it is time to do something for yourself and stop trying to COPY everyone else. Oh, I know… “Hey! I have a long tongue so guys / ladies, take a look!” Really? Perhaps it’s, “I’m really drunk!”, “This is disgusting!”, “Tongues are funny looking so here is mine!”, “I really hate to smile!”  Could be all these things, but I think deep down it may be more like, “I’m insecure and don;t like to appear attractive.”

These are not pictures being taken for ones own personal use. They are pictures being share with friends, family, and the world. Profile pictures meant to best represent who you are. I admit, that every once and awhile, we all take photos of ourselves and others being silly and making faces. It can be funny.  Posing every single time with your tongue out though? Not funny. Not attractive. Hopefully, not the best representation of yourself. And the duck lips? You do not look like your pouting or like you are ready for a kiss… you look like a DUCK!

Advertising and marketing people are starting to use images of women who pose like this, because they think it has something to do with sex. Perhaps it does, but it sure as hell is not sexy. Why would they think that? Well, there is psychology professor at the University of San Francisco who studies nonverbal communication named Maureen O’Sullivan who states, “The mouth is a sexual orifice from a young age.” She says that these images are not so innocent and believes the gesture of sticking out one’s tongue can have multiple meanings. It can be an act of rudeness, disgust, playfulness or outright sexual provocation.

I say it doesn’t matter. Do what you want to do, however, you should know that it is important to look your best. To give a good impression. Sticking out your tongue in all those pictures, or puckering your lips up to look like a duck, is NOT SEXY. It looks stupid and makes you look less than you are, or at least I hope it is less than you are. Hedy was a beautiful woman, and perhaps she had a look of mock stupidity in some poses but her eyes told the real story. You would not see a picture of a LADY with her tongue sticking out.

Not being sexist on this as I also think guys taking selfies in a mirror as they flex or blow kisses is just as bad. But not seeing as much of that as I am of the … well this …

– Deacon Blues (deaconbluez)
June 23rd, 2014

MINDING OUR OWN BUSINESS

“International politics is never about democracy and human rights. It’s about the interests of states. Remember that, no matter what you are told in history lessons.”  – Egon Bah

.-= So tired of hearing about world conflicts that have nothing to do with us. Aren’t you? Here is the thing…

As a sovereign country, we as Canadians have a common bond, for the most part. We have our differences from province to province but tolerance and understanding has made things work. Some of the most heated internal conflicts have come about in relation to Quebec and the rest of the country, and as of late, even those have been pretty quiet.

What if things heated up and escalated? What if the language division became such a serious issue to the people that armed conflicts began to arise? What if there were serious religious differences between geographical areas of the country? Things would not be so comfortable for us, and perhaps in a worst case scenario, a civil war could break out. Unlikely, but one never knows. Now all that being said, now we have other sovereign nations sticking their nose in our business… taking sides. Most of those involved would claim to be doing so under the guise of “human rights” but the truth is, they would be involved because of their own self interests. They would be wanting to protect their access to our commerce and trade, our fresh water, our oil, and other natural resources. How tolerant would you be of their involvement in our differences?

The Middle East. This area of the world has been unstable for thousands of years, so much so that we may never have been where we are had it not been. Right now I can see many of confused looks on your faces. Christopher Columbus set out to explore and find a new trade route that would get him from Spain to the Orient and India, so they could avoid crossing through the Middle East. At the time, he was risking certain death, because remember the Earth was flat and he would simply fall off the end.

Islam is a religion of peace, so it claims. Christianity has claimed the same thing. This never stopped the wars fought in the name of Christianity has it? There are so many radical factions within Islam. The Middle East is at constant war with itself, mostly over religious differences and extremes. Our nations however, continually get involved, claiming many reasons. Fear of terrorism, humanitarian aid, etc. We are creating more unrest. We are fueling the fires.

It does not matter that these conflicts are in the Middle East. There are many conflicts similar to this in South America, Africa, etc. We need to MIND OUR OWN BUSINESS. Let them figure it out for themselves. Let them solve their own problems. Makes sense does it not? Maybe, but it will never happen because the truth is, we get involved because of our own self-interest. MONEY is our motivation. Perhaps not directly, but we put our support behind others who are motivated by greed. If they don’t want us there, it is time to get out.

Some say that is a problem for the United States. Maybe at one time. Now, most of the world is beginning to bunch us together with them. We were once the most loved and respected country in the world. Things are changing. Outside involvement in these foreign conflicts is wrong. We need to take a stand, and let them deal with it alone. Should our neighbours to the south want to get involved, we need to distance ourselves from that. We have enough problems of our own, right here, that need to be taken care of and addressed. We are allowing our government to distract us from our own problems by pointing elsewhere. Are we really that gullible? Are we really so self-absorbed and arrogant to think that we have all the answers and know what is best for everyone else in the world?

Once again, I am just asking questions. Just something that gets under my skin and I know that I am not alone in this thinking. Comment, share, and make your voice heard!

– Deacon Blues (deaconbluez)
June 20th, 2014

 

Time Your Strike

.-= So what is the purpose of a union? The purpose of labor unions is to protect its members, workers, from being underpaid and overworked. Unions have fees and rules that apply to all members.

Today, CUPE Local 1764 in Durham went on strike. I am sure over fair wages and as they claim, a need for better benefits. The timing of this strike is perfect, don’t you think? Hudak loses the election, so now they know there jobs are more secure. Perfect time to go after more. Since they want more, I hope you all realize that it is US that will have to pay more.

I am not saying that they make TOO much money and don’t deserve more. I am saying that we need to look at things in a different way. These are tough times. Most working people in this province do not get the benefits that they do. Most people are not even making close to what they are. So are they underpaid? Compared to who? How far above the poverty line are they? How about above minimum wage? Are they overworked? I can assure you that they are not. There are so many people in this province that work longer, harder, in worse conditions, for a hell of a lot less than what they get.

Where is the money coming from? US! Taxes! And if that isn’t enough, the government will just be forced to borrow money from the banks to pay the cost of an essential service to the people. [More on that in a future blog.] I don’t have the answers, just questions. More and more questions. We all need to be asking them. Shouting them out. Hopefully someone can answer and find a solution.

Personally, I have never been a fan of labour unions, ever. I support smart management and ethical business practices. Just Preachin’ and throwing in my Nickel!

– Deacon Blues (deaconbluez)
– June 19th, 2014

Namaste!

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.” – Plato

 

.-= Somebody recently suggested that I move my rants to someplace more appropriate. So this is my new home. I am not quite sure how often I will blog, but blog I shall. I believe I have something to say AND have some things that I have to say. Of course, everything I write is simply my opinion. There shall be moments of humour, confusion, anger, etc. At no point do I intend to hurt anyone although I am sure there will be times somebody is offended. I do not write, nor to I intend to write to intentionally cause malice. I will end my first little blog with this … If you have a closed mind and find yourself easily offended then perhaps you should read no further.

– Deacon Blues (deaconbluez)
June 19th, 2014